Rethinking a Low Carbohyrdate Diet
- By Stephen Holt, M.D.

A Better Low Carb Diet

Almost every dieter in the United States has fallen in love with the idea of low carbohydrate diets for weight control. These low carbohydrate diets include the Atkins Diet, the Zone, the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet, the South Beach Diet and the SugarBusters Diet. These diets all share in the common recommendation to reduce carbohydrate intake as a primary way for losing weight.Dr. Robert C. Atkins did not focus on calorie control as an important component of dieting, but most nutritional experts do believe that calorie control is important for weight control. Indeed, I do recommend calorie control as an important part of any weight control program, together with exercise and behavior modification.

Dr. Atkins' early accounts of his diet revolution in the 1970’s did recommend the liberal use of fats in the diet, in order to achieve a body chemistry of what is called "ketosis." Dr. Atkins thought that this "ketosis" in the body would help suppress appetite and promote the burning of fat by the body.

Modern science has questioned these theories behind the Atkins diet, but recent studies have implied that the Atkins Diet may be quite effective for weight loss, at least in the short term. However, recent research shows that low carb diets, such as the Atkins Diet, need to be more effective and healthier. My approach to the low carb diets to use supplements and lifestyle change to really make the diet work and fulfill the needs of a healthy weight loss initiative. This is my concept of low carb diet facilitation."

It is important to note that Dr. Atkins did change his mind about the type of fat that he recommended in his diet over the years. Towards the latter part of Dr. Atkins' life, he did recommend the use of essential fatty acids and certainly concentrated much attention on the use of omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish oil.

Dr. Atkins did realize that it was not practical for people to stay on complete absence of carbohydrates in their diet, and he did recommend carbohydrate reintroduction as part of his dietary plan. In the early phases of the Atkins Diet accelerated weight loss does occur; and this weight loss is not all water loss from the body. This is a meritorious finding with the Atkins Diet, but promoters of the diet attempted to use this as overall evidence that the Atkins Diet was universally successful. In fact, the recent studies published on the Atkins Diet in the "New England Journal of Medicine" implied that the diet did fail after six and 12 months. This then shows the need to "facilitate the benefits of a low carb diet."

The Atkins Diet as "stand-alone intervention" for weight loss or control cannot be considered to be effective for the long term. People had warned that extra fat intake could perhaps cause problems with high blood cholesterol, but the recent scientific studies on the Atkins Diet (published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 2003) showed that blood cholesterol values were not negatively influenced by the extra fat intake in the diet.

This recent information points to two specific issues that require correction when looking at a low carbohydrate diet such as the Atkins Diet. First and foremost, the Atkins Diet does not result in long term weight control. Second, the Atkins Diet and other low carbohydrate diets need help and additions to make them healthier. Clearly, something needs to be added or modified in the diet to achieve the objective of long term weight control. In my own personal clinical experiences, I have seen many failures from an Atkins or other low carb diet following six months to one year. In fact, I had noted that this "yo-yo" effect may be much more common than people realize.

The point of maximum weight regain with the Atkins Diet is when people start to reintroduce carbohydrates into their diets. This must be understood because this is the stage of the diet that heralds weight regain. Dr. Atkins recognized this limitation with carbohydrate reintroduction into the diet, if people started to eat simple sugars. In fact, it is a key point that it is simple sugars, not necessarily all carbohydrates (e.g. the complex carbohydrates) that are the real cause of weight gain in the general population or weight regain of people who have undertaken a low carbohydrate diet. The reason why an Atkins or other low carbohydrate diet may fail is because the person with the weight problem often has resistance to the hormone insulin which is not overcome by the low carbohydrate diet itself. Recent research shows us that carbohydrate restriction alone cannot overcome insulin resistance. Thus, low carb foods, while beneficial, are not the "standalone" interventions for sustained healthy weight control.

We need to fully understand the importance of insulin resistance and high circulating levels of the hormone insulin. Everyone knows that insulin is responsible for controlling blood glucose, but insulin has many other functions. When insulin secretion is excessive in the presence of insulin resistance, the hormone insulin gives strong signals to the body to store fat. First, overcoming insulin resistance is a very important part of weight control tactics. In addition, insulin gives a powerful signal to the liver to make cholesterol and blood cholesterol rises. Furthermore, insulin gives a strong message to the body to raise the blood pressure. Therefore, nutritional substances found in the dietary supplement, Low Carb Diet Facilitator™, (capsules or powder) are designed to overcome insulin resistance. Low Carb Diet Facilitator™ can help facilitate the health benefits of a low carbohydrate lifestyle. The act of overcoming insulin resistance to a variable degree may also improve the results achieved with low carbohydrate diets and help make them more effective in the intermediate to long term.

Low Carb Diet Facilitator™ contains a secret and proprietary mixture of dietary fibers that will tend to blunt rises in blood glucose which will secondarily help blunt rises in blood insulin. It is high swings in blood glucose and insulin that causes major problems; and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes people resistant to the effects of low carbohydrate diets. One may now see how Low Carb Diet Facilitator™ in its powder form was specifically designed to improve the outcome, of low carbohydrate diets, by helping to overcome insulin resistance and improving the outcome of low carbohydrate diets, specifically in terms of control of cholesterol and general health.